Salt and Pepper Shrimp
椒盐虾
Crispy fried shrimp tossed with a fragrant mix of toasted Sichuan salt, white pepper, garlic, and chilies. Cantonese seafood perfection.
📋 Ingredients
What Is Salt and Pepper Shrimp?
💡 Ingredient Notes: Salt and Pepper Shrimp (椒盐虾, jiāo yán xiā) is a Cantonese classic — whole shrimp (shell-on) lightly battered, fried until crispy, then tossed with a fragrant mix of toasted Sichuan pepper-salt, garlic, and chilies. The genius is eating them shell and all — the fried shells become crunchy and flavorful, so you eat the whole shrimp in one bite. The 'salt and pepper' is actually toasted Sichuan peppercorn salt (椒盐), which is fragrant and gently numbing, not just regular salt. A signature Cantonese seafood dish, eaten with cold beer.
Ingredients You'll Need
The Shrimp
- 500g (1 lb) large shrimp, with shells on, heads on if possible
- 1 tbsp cooking wine
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp white pepper
- ½ cup cornstarch
Sichuan Pepper Salt (椒盐)
- 1 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns
- 2 tbsp sea salt
Aromatics & Toss
- 8 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 thumb ginger, finely minced
- 6 dried red chilies, chopped
- 1 bunch scallions, white and green parts, chopped
- 1 tsp sugar
- Oil for frying (about 2 cups)
📝 Instructions
Prep the shrimp
Rinse the shrimp and pat very dry. Snip off the sharp antennae, eyes, and the sharp tip of the head with scissors — this makes them easier to eat whole. Use a small knife to score along the back and remove the dark vein, but keep the shells on. Toss with cooking wine, salt, and white pepper.
Make the Sichuan pepper-salt
Toast the Sichuan peppercorns in a dry pan over low heat for 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Add the sea salt and toast together for another minute. Grind to a fine powder in a spice grinder or mortar. This is your jiāo yán (椒盐) — the soul of the dish.
Coat and fry the shrimp
Toss the dried shrimp in cornstarch until evenly coated. Shake off excess. Heat oil to 180°C (350°F). Fry the shrimp in 2 batches for 2-3 minutes each until golden and crispy. The shells should be crunchy. Drain on paper towels.
Double-fry (optional but recommended)
For extra crunch, raise the oil temperature to 200°C (400°F) and refry all the shrimp for 30 seconds. This makes the shells shatteringly crisp.
Toss with aromatics
Drain all but 1 tablespoon oil from the wok. Add the garlic, ginger, and dried chilies. Stir-fry for 30 seconds until fragrant — don't burn the garlic. Return the shrimp to the wok. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of the Sichuan pepper-salt and the sugar. Toss vigorously for 30 seconds to coat. Add scallions and toss once more.
Serve
Transfer to a plate and serve immediately with cold beer. Eat the shrimp whole — shell, head, and all. The crunchy shells are the best part.
💡 Pro Tips
- 💡💡 Eat the shells. That's the whole point of this dish. Fried shells become crunchy and flavorful. If you peel them, you're missing the experience.
- 💡💡 Use shell-on shrimp, preferably with heads. The heads are the most flavorful part. Look for them at Asian markets.
- 💡💡 Make your own Sichuan pepper-salt. Store-bought works, but freshly toasted and ground is dramatically more fragrant. It takes 3 minutes.
- 💡💡 Don't skip the double-fry. The second fry makes the shells shatteringly crisp, so they're pleasant to eat whole.
- 💡💡 Toss quickly at the end. You want the aromatics and salt to coat the shrimp, but extended cooking makes the shells lose their crunch.
📊 Nutrition Facts
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Can I peel the shrimp first? You can, but then this becomes a completely different (and less interesting) dish. The shells are essential to salt-and-pepper shrimp. Trust the process — fried shells are crunchy and delicious.
Where do I find whole shrimp with heads? Asian grocery stores, especially Chinese and Southeast Asian ones. They're usually in the freezer section. Frozen-then-thawed works fine.
Is this spicy? Mildly spicy from the dried chilies, with a numbing tingle from the Sichuan peppercorns. Not as fiery as a Sichuan dish, but aromatic. Reduce chilies for less heat.
